On Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 04:09:15PM -0600, Connie Sieh wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Nov 2011, Konstantin Olchanski wrote:
> 
> >Hi, SL users - I have constructed an SL6 installer USB disk and it works
> >but after asking all the questions, right before starting to install packages,
> >it stops and requests that there be an active network connection. The installation
> >does not seem to proceed until the machine acquires an internet connection.
> >
> >Why is this?
> 
> How did you make the USB image?


Same as any bootable USB disk. Partition the USB disk, mkfs, rsync bootable
filesystem contents, install boot loader.

As follows:

1) Partition table looks like this:

Disk /dev/sdc: 7996 MB, 7996440576 bytes
224 heads, 56 sectors/track, 1245 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 12544 * 512 = 6422528 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdc1   *           1        1245     7808612   83  Linux

NOTE: you need to repartition with -H224 -S56 (or whatever) because
I see some USB disks come with random heads and sectors settings.

NOTE2: note "boot" flag

2) mke2fs -j /dev/sdc1 as normal, mount /dev/sdc1 /mnt/dst

3) rsync -av /triumfcs/mirror/SL/6.1/x64_64/os /mnt/dst (same contents as http://ftp.scientificlinux.org/linux/scientific/6.1/x86_64/os)

4) directory "Packages" is probably not needed

5) rsync -av .../SL-61-x86_64-2011-11-09-Everything-DVD1.iso .../SL-61-x86_64-2011-07-27-Everything-DVD2.iso /mnt/dst

6) cd /mnt/dst, setup "extlinux" (since the original uses isolinux). I use extlinux, mbr.bin, menu.c32 from extlinux-3.86.

6a) cat mbr.bin > /dev/sdc, ./extlinux -i . (notice the dot)
6b) extlinux.conf is a copy of isolinux.cfg with "vesamenu.c32" replaced by "menu.c32" from extlinux-3.86

7) umount /dev/sdc, try to boot it.

> >I am making an SL6 installer for use on machines located where internet
> >access is physically impossible, so is there a solution or workaround?
> >
> 
> There is a solution to this but I need to know the answer to the
> above question.


Ideally, I would like the installer run from the "Packages" directory rather
than the DVD iso images.


-- 
Konstantin Olchanski
Data Acquisition Systems: The Bytes Must Flow!
Email: olchansk-at-triumf-dot-ca
Snail mail: 4004 Wesbrook Mall, TRIUMF, Vancouver, B.C., V6T 2A3, Canada